Author
Topic: Preparing for the inevitable (Read 11046 times)

First, let me start off this thread by stating that NO, I am not having bad thoughts.

What I am looking for is a website that can help you keep all necessary information in one place for loved ones should the inevitable occur. There are different websites that all list different items that you should keep records of. The issue I have is, putting it all in one place.

I want to be able to give my family a "one stop shop" to go to in the event that something occurs. Storing things like account numbers, scheduled payments, scanned copies of important documents, a password vault (I've seen several topics discussing this on doco at one point or another. Things focused on are what happens to your digital life when your physical life ends, passwords, etc.)

Can anyone recommend an ESTABLISHED service that provides these services? I would rather not jump onto a new player just to spend a lot of time and have the service shut down, as I've seen with a few of these like the old iDeparted. A big name would be nice, one that has some backing across the world.

Any thoughts?

Josh

AGAIN, This is for planning only. The only time I think negative thoughts is when on IRC engaging a particular admin ;-)

Isn't that what Evernote has marketed themselves to? (The Pro version)

Idk of an established service though but if I died today, most of my personal stuff would be found in Dropbox and Lastpass. Workflowy Pro Version also has Dropbox support but that's just a site for lists.

I didn't even know of IDeparted before you mentioned it. Sounds too insecure.

I use Gmail for that. I send all such numbers, passwords etc. to myself, and archive them with a specific label.

Wifey knows the password, so hopefully, we will not die in the same plane crash

I know, this is less than what you had in mind, but it is practical.

Something with Gmail though, is annoying. I had an attached word document on my Gmail account. It was heavy on macros. Yesterday when I needed to access it, Gmail claimed that it contained a virus, and barred me from accessing it. I couldn't download it. I couldn't forward it to another account. I could do nothing (didn't try pop3/imap option though).

That's far from ideal. Store something in your account, and one day, out of nowhere, it will be infected if Google needs it to be.

Could you elaborate on what you mean by "the most critical documents to store"?

Surely for passwords, something like Lastpass' recently used category in conjunction with the favorites section would help in that and the event details in the web interface of Dropbox would tell your loved ones which files you edited/most tweaked?

As far as linking them all into one place, there's probably a myriad of tweaks you can achieve with ifttt.com especially in conjunction with some of the date & time and gcalendar services. There's also Boxcar integration which I haven't tried.

Barring things like Mint.com, it would seem unlikely that you yourself wouldn't know what items you want to leave behind for your family.

Could you elaborate on what you mean by "the most critical documents to store"?

Surely for passwords, something like Lastpass' recently used category in conjunction with the favorites section would help in that and the event details in the web interface of Dropbox would tell your loved ones which files you edited/most tweaked?

As far as linking them all into one place, there's probably a myriad of tweaks you can achieve with ifttt.com especially in conjunction with some of the date & time and gcalendar services. There's also Boxcar integration which I haven't tried.

Barring things like Mint.com, it would seem unlikely that you yourself wouldn't know what items you want to leave behind for your family.

When I die, I want to ensure that all documents are available to my wife to ensure the follow-on processes are easy for her to handle. That said, I've read stories of people being given the run around because they don't have X, Y or Z document.

I know what I CONSIDER important for her to have, but I also do not want to overburden her with too much info that she has to sort through when trying to handle a life insurance claim, arrange services, getting debt paid off or other issues handled.

Planning ahead for the event is a rational idea, but have you also considered your needs after the event? How are you to access these documents?I think that, by definition, you would have to be considering some kind of Cloud-based storage, search and retrieval service, but currently no-one seems to offer an ethereal kind of Cloud service. Well, I have googled it, and came up with a blank, anyway.

Nah, that sounds like a more specific version of the problems plaguing personal information management in general.

If that's the problem, wouldn't it be more simple to print out an e-book/paper table of contents/draw them a map stating which service they should head on to if x problems arise?

This is too expensive for your needs but by chance would something like Goalscape Connect's interface help your wife?

Can't tell what Goalscape is. Their site just shows a login or register page without any hint of what they are. Why would one register without having a clue as to what you're registering? Is there a separate explanation page? I'm curious now!

Put all your info in a lockbox at the bank and then Will the lockbox to whoever needs the info... or something.

When I think about it, if I were to die then nobody really needs to know anything about me that they don't already know. All my accounts with passwords that people don't know and everything can just die with me and it won't matter.

« Last Edit: July 12, 2012, 03:19:39 PM by Deozaan, Reason: Oops. Didn\'t realize the difference between a Will and a Living Will »

Put all your info in a lockbox at the bank and then Will the lockbox to whoever needs the info... or something.

When I think about it, if I were to die then nobody really needs to know anything about me that they don't already know. All my accounts with passwords that people don't know and everything can just die with me and it won't matter.

Agreed: passwords (to your porn sites, especially) should die with you. The only stuff you really need people to find are things with MONEY attached to them....and/or lists of physical items you want your survivors to be given......like your motorcycle and your picture of Aunt Bertha holding you in her arms after Uncle Harold saved you from drowning.

Instructions pertaining to these "things of value" are kept in your WILL (not your "living will".....that's a document that describes the terms of the health care you'll be given in the event you are seriously injured, but NOT dead.)

Put your WILL......along with a LIVING WILL (called a Personal Care Power of Attorney in Canada) in a "Joint Safety Deposit Box" at your financial institution (so that your spouse, who probably gets most of your "stuff" when you die, has access to it without needing to ASK or PROVE anything; she just walks in and gets it using her key.

If you BOTH die in the same plane/fire/what-have-you......your Powers of Attorney...(you and your spouse BOTH need one......handier if the same person for both of you) walks in to the bank and shows his POA document (the bank or your lawyer would have created this doc) and both of your death certificates.....and then (S)HE has access to the box once containing instructions for distribution of property for both of you.

Simple? Yes! It's one of those procrastination things though, cause no one wants to think about that inevitable day!

I just put everything in a normal text file and put it on CDRW and throw it in the safe. If there's ever a change that needs to be made, that's why I use a CDRW! lol

CDRW seems too unstable for me. My mrs knows all my passwords for anything that is important (Paypal, eBay, Bank etc) so I don't worry too much about this. IF I did drop dead tomorrow, its also possible for her to simply turn my PC on, and just hit the auto-login button for most low-level security sites (DC, Facebook etc) so she can access anything she needs to. IF we both ended up dead in the same accident, then nobody else needs my information, and it can be left as it currently is

It would be useful if there was some free zip file somewhere that contained a bunch of forms to fill out to cover all of these issues.. A living will, a place to list important passwords, etc.

The rules may vary slightly from state to state so you'll need to do a search for forms on that basis. For example, New York forms can be found here.

One thing...no matter what anybody tells you about witnesses - have a notary witness your signature of the document. It's some inconvenience and a few bucks (~$5) well spent. Having that official seal completely removes any legal question that you signed the document. With simple witness signatures and no notary seal it can still be called into question.

Addendum:

Fannie Mae publishes something called the Elderkit in PDF format. It's a collection of forms and info that is worth downloading and filling out if you're responsible for the care of an aging parent or relative. Get it here.

Most of the forms can be used as is, or serve as an outline for your own important personal information collection. So print out an extra copy for your own info while you're at it.

P.S. I just had my mother unexpectedly end up in the hospital a few weeks ago. (She's now home and fine BTW.) Although I had most of the information and documents I needed, there were a few things I didn't have. And that added greatly to the stress I experienced with her being there. Going home and frantically digging through personal papers is the last thing you need when you're worried about somebody.

I'm coming to this post rather late but will share my experience. I took care of my mother for several years before she died. To be prepared for emergencies (and there were many) I always carried a flash drive with TrueCrypt-protected copies of her advance directive, power of attorney, POA for healthcare, photo ID, Medicare card, etc. A couple of weeks before my mother died I had to prove that I had the authority to determine who could be at her bedside in the ER, and my drive did the trick. Institutions will of course be reluctant to pop flash drives into their computers, but if the issue is whether you have the authority to make life or death decisions someone will find a way to view the files.

On the same drive I keep encrypted copies of my driver's license, insurance cards, home insurance policy, etc. If I lose my wallet 500 miles from home or my house burns down I'm reasonably well protected. You decide what level of protection you need.

The original post was about a somewhat different purpose but the principle is the same. Flash drives are more reliable and obsolescence-proof than CDs, but they can break. Buy sturdy ones, back them up, and test them periodically.